Guilty by Associations - Five Mistakes Associations Make While Developing Their Digital Strategy

© 2013 Bridgeline Digital, Inc.

The Digital Engagement Company 1

April 30, 2013



Speakers

Brian BoltonSr. VP, MarketingBridgeline Digital

Tom McGourtySr. VP, Bus. DevelopmentBridgeline Digital

Tobin ConleySr. Consultant,Technology Mgmt.DelCor



Presentation Outline

Who is Bridgeline• About Bridgeline

Digital

• How We Build Customer Success

• Thousands of Customers Rely on Bridgeline & iAPPS

• Membership Relationship Management

Mistakes

• #1: AMS-CMS Integration

• #2: Ignoring Mobile in Your Digital Strategy

• #3: Discounting the Importance of an Effective SEO Strategy

• #4: Collecting BIG DATA but not taking action on the results

• #5: Having a social media plan that lacks a clear vision

DelCor• About DelCor

• The IT MaturityModel Framework

• Shifting the Focus of ITin Your Association

• Looking at ‘The Big Picture’

• Striving for Strategic or Innovative Use of Technology

Conclusion and Q&A• What’s on Your Mind?

• Thank You





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Mistakes














Bridgeline continues to drive record results as an organization and improve how we make our customers successful.

About Bridgeline Digital

Over 1,000 quality customers» iAPPS powers over 5,000 websites and online stores» iAPPS enjoys an impressive 95% retention rate

Record Setting FY 2012» Deloitte recognized Bridgeline as one of the Fastest 500

growing technology companies in America» Record revenues and record iAPPS licenses

UPS Logistics selected iAPPS as their exclusive Web Content Management and eCommerce solution

Over 210 passionate employees in 11 Global offices




How We Build Customer Success

We help our customers achieve their key initiatives by leveraging web technologies



Thousands of Customers Rely on Bridgeline & iAPPS



Membership Relationship Management

• Individual membership organizations Average Renewal Rate was 78%

• Average Renewal Rate for trade or organizational memberships was 85%.

• The Average first year member renewal rate for individual membership organizations was 67%

• Average first year renewal rate for trade or organizational memberships was 75%.

Findings from the 2012 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report:





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Mistakes














Tom McGourtySr. VP, Bus. Development

Bridgeline Digital



Mistake #1: AMS-CMS Integration

What is Association Management Software?A system that provides Associations with basic database features to run its operations, such as member services, dues, event management, and fundraising.

• Critical software for Associations to properly harness and develop a Digital Marketing strategy.

• Lehman Associates annual industry study report, entitled "Association Management Software Use and Satisfaction, found associations entered into an AMS purchase process every 4-5 years.

Tom McGourtySr. VP, Bus. Development

Bridgeline Digital




AMS Purchasing Habits

- Wes Trochlil, President of Effective Database Management

“

”

If you are struggling with your current technology and have not acquired new software or upgraded in the past three years, you need to do that now. Given how inexpensive some off-the-shelf Software as a Service [Saas] products are, it's malpractice to continue to suffer with an absurdly out-of-date or homegrown system.

2003

• According to a survey conducted by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), 24% of organizations implemented their AMS over a decade ago.

• Meanwhile, 4 out of 10 organizations are shopping for a new AMS.

201310 YEARS




Finding An AMS That Works For Your Organization

• According to Lehman Associates annual report, over 90% of respondents say Member Relationship Management (MRM) SHOULD be part of their Association Management System (AMS).

• Majority of associations are satisfied with the degree to which their current solution provides MRM capabilities. Still, over 40% remain less than fully satisfied.

MRM Consideration




What is a Content Management System?At its core, the function of content management systems is to present information on websites, using a central interface to publish, edit, and modify content. CMS features vary widely from system to system.




Choosing the Right CMS

“

”– Jeanne L. Allert and David Gammel, ASAE.org, “The World Wide Wreck”

Ask for client references, particularly from organizations similar to yours.

What additional services might you want from the provider(e.g., installation, maintenance, user support)?

How well do you understand the vendor's methodology for getting your CMS up and running?

Does the vendor have experience with associations and their unique requirements?




The Importance of Your Association’s Website

The 2012 Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report surveyed nearly 700 Association Executives.

According to the study, an Association’s Email Campaigns and Website drivebrand awareness.




The Importance of Your Association’s Website

Behind word-of-mouth, executives cited their Association’s Website and Email Marketing efforts as primary recruitment methods.



Social Media

Mobile Services

Enhanced Capabilities for

Email Marketing

Communications

Meeting Management and

Registration

E-Learning


AMS-CMS Synergy

Areas of Third-Party Engagement Tools Cited:

- Lehman Associates

“”

Some AMS providers are building social and CMS-type functionality into their products. While [AMS systems] do have a potential advantage of automatic integration with the other functions of the AMS, surprisingly, some are not well integrated within the vendors AMS platform.

Associations initiate the process to upgrade or replace their current membership management solution for a variety of reasons, but the reason most frequently cited is to gain greater integration capabilities with other applications that enable them to engage, deliver value and transact with members online.



Mistake #2: Ignoring Mobile In Your Digital Strategy

Welcome to the Mobile Revolution

According to Business Insider, manufacturers shipped 685.6 million smart phones worldwide in 2012 - 45% increase over 2011. Gartner predicts 1.2 billion smart devices will be sold in 2013, up 50% from 2012.




Accessibility is KingA study conducted by Morgan Stanley found that

91% of all smartphone users have their phones within an arm’s reach 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Surf’s Up: Mobile Internet UseOn the Rise According to a study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project:

• 31% of American adults who have cell phones use their phones for the majority of their Internet access.

• Additionally, among American adults in the 18-29 demographic who use the Internet on their phones, 45% primarily use the mobile web.




Make Mobile Work For You, Not Against YouBrand Awareness:

Visitors don’t hope you have a mobile friendly website, they expect it.

In the study entitled, “What Users Want Most From Mobile Sites Today,”Google found 72% of consumers expect brands to have a mobile-friendly website.

Google reported that 55% of respondents said a frustrating mobile experience hurts their opinion of a brand.




The Solution is Responsive Design

What is Responsive Design?

A mobile-friendly design approach which enables websites to detect the size of a visitor’s viewing screen and trigger content to automatically adjust to fit the screen accordingly.




The Solution is Responsive Design

Benefits to Responsive Design

Future proofs organization’s website for new smart devices that haven’t reached the marketplace yet

Google recommends Responsive Design

No redirection is needed for users to get to the device-optimized view



Mistake #3: Discounting the Importance of an Effective SEO Strategy

What is Search Engine Optimization?The process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine’s “natural” or un-paid (“organic”) search results

The Importance of Leveraging SEO Tactics

1. 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine

2. 82.6% of internet users use search

3. 70% of the links search users click on are organic

4. 70-80% of users ignore the paid ads

5. 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results




Common SEO Mistakes You Can Control Search Engine Optimization is a technical process by nature, but it starts with producing content that is engaging and interactive.

3 common mistakes digital content creators can easily avoid to remedy poor Search Rank

1. Failure to research keywords or use proper industry-specific vocabulary2. Inconsistent content publication3. Lack of patience




Leaving the Rest to the Experts

Content Management Systems and SEO

Staying ahead of the SEO game is a constant battle. It starts with the Content Management System powering your Association’s website.

CMS are great vehicles for non-technical users to updatetheir website. It is imperative to select a CMS that practices cutting-edge SEO tactics.




2 Examples of Built-In CMS SEO Functions

Auto 301-redirects: • A 301 redirect is the correct way to redirect a page from one URL to another.• Search engines will transfer all SEO credit to the redirected page.

Sitemap.xml auto-generation:• Search engines use a standardized method for allowing site administrators to notify them

of new pages to “crawl”. This an XML file usually referred to as a sitemap.xml file.• Recommended practice as it allows search engines to do so in a more intelligent manner.

Professional Consultative Services:Organizations can also look toward hiring third-party SEO Consultants. These professionals stay up to date with how search engines rank websites, perform site audits to improve web visibility and implement effective SEO strategies.



Mistake #4: Collecting BIG DATA but not taking action on the results

What Is Big Data? Big data is a collection of data sets so large and complex that it becomes difficult to process using on-hand database management tools or traditional data processing applications.

Challenges of Big Data

• Capture • Curation • Storage • Search • Sharing• Analysis

According to IBM, 90% of the data in the world today was created in the last 2 years alone.




Big Data Is Buried By Associations

According to a survey conducted at the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Technology Conference:

• 63% of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) responded that their organization is not doing anything with BIG DATA

• 73% rated Big Data as the most

important tool for Associations going forward




Big Data In Motion

Real life Case Studies • NASCAR uses big data to better engage with fans

• Ford uses big data to run more smoothly

• Sears uses big data to get a handle on price elasticity

• President Obama’s campaign used big data to rally individual voters




Investment in big data

• 68% of marketers said they expect theirdata-related expenditures to increase in 2013.[Source: Infogroup Targeting Solutions & Yesmail Interactive, January 2013]

• 56% plan on hiring new employees to handle data collection or analysis[Source: Infogroup Targeting Solutions & Yesmail Interactive, January 2013]

• 85% of Fortune 1000 companies have big data initiatives planned or in progress.[Source: NewVantage Partners, December 2012]

• Gartner expects big data to drive $34bn in IT spending in 2013.[Source: Gartner, October 2012]




Big Data Adoption

Most organizations are currently in the early stages of big data development efforts, with the majority focused either on understanding the concepts (24%) or defining a roadmap related to big data (47%). [Source: IBM, October 2012]

[Statistics Courtesy of Econsultancy report, “Big Data Trends Briefing”]




Using Big Data In Your Association Strategy

Of the Associations that are using data, 77% say they gather data from 6 or more sources. 17% have 20+ separate data sources.

Big Data can be used to gain insights into what is working and what isn’t working in your association, ultimately helping pinpoint what current – and prospective – members value.



Mistake #5: Having a social media plan that lacks a clear vision

Get Social, Join the Conversation

• Social Media Sites Now Reach 82%of World’s Population

• Time spent on social sites has tripled over past few years

• Not just young people

• Users 55+ represent fastest growing segment in social networking usage

• 94.7% of online users 55+ use social media (Source comscore)




Social Media & Associations

– Roy Snell, CEO of the Health Care Compliance Association and the Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics.

“

”Snell’s Theory:

A decade ago, only about 10 percent of members' contact with a typical association was online.Today, Snell says, the proportion may be more like 50 percent magazines and meetings, 50 percent web and, increasingly, social media. In the decade to come, 90 percent of members' contacts may be online.

Members' interconnectivity is going to continue to go up exponentially, and the organization that makes the most of that will win the day. Between social media, the web, and our AMS, we have to provide the best possible experience for those in our profession who want to connect.




Focus on Return On Engagement, Not Return on Investment

Key Associations Use:

• Social Discovery

• Social Member Relationship Management

• Listen to the ongoing conversation





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Mistakes














• Independent technology management consulting• Experience/expertise applied to your unique requirements and culture• Former association executives• Almost 30 years of helping associations make the most of their IT

investment

About DelCor Technology SolutionsTobin ConleySr. Consultant,

Technology Mgmt.DelCor



The IT Maturity Model Framework



Ways to improve your Association:

Moving from an inward-looking approach to one focused on member satisfaction and engagement

Viewing the world from a member perspective Creating value that fulfills your mission and vision

Shifting the Focus of IT in Your Association



Understanding how to ‘connect the dots’ so that technology works in harmony

• Decision-making criteria• Success metrics

Key roles in any technology initiative:

• Business Analyst• Project Manager

Looking at ‘The BIG Picture’



Plan for Success

AMS/CMS: Integrate to personalize

Mobile: Bring content where users are

SEO: Make your info ‘findable’

Big Data: Ask the right questions

Social Media: Tap the power of digital networking

Striving for Strategic or Innovative Use of Technology





Digital




Mistakes














Questions?

Issues?

Comments?

What’s on Your Mind?



Thank You


Tom McGourtySr. VP, Bus. DevelopmentBridgeline Digital

Tobin ConleySr. Consultant,Technology Mgmt.DelCor

Guilty by Associations - Five Mistakes Associations Make While Developing Their Digital Strategy

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Transcript of Guilty by Associations - Five Mistakes Associations Make While Developing Their Digital Strategy